Tedious!

Probably the world's most tedious job, but after all the rain and with the ground so compacted, Head Gardener has been aerating the lawn with a garden fork in the worst affected areas.  I know I should be brushing in some sharp sand next but at least I've made a start.  It takes so long to do a relatively small area, I was glad to have a break and cut back all the dead Scented Nemesia in the blue pots beneath the dining room windows.  It's not only very much alive but has a wealth of healthy green shoots.  This is a particularly highly fragrant variety and on a summer's day, the scent of lilac (it smells exactly the same!) wafts around the garden, into the house and across the terrace. 

The advantage of a mild winter is that so much has survived including some standard Fuchsias which I didn't bother to drag into the greenhouse.  I did get Chris to lift out a Strelitzia which has a couple of flower buds and also a tatty looking Jasmine but covered in flowers so both are now in the conservatory as opposed to being left in the greenhouse where they would have been too far away to enjoy.

STOP PRESS:  I got the sharp sand and finished the job...................now I definitely need a drink!